Who Competes in the Team Event at the Olympics?- questions inside | Golden Skate

Who Competes in the Team Event at the Olympics?- questions inside

wordsworthgirl

Medalist
Joined
Sep 12, 2013
Specifically, I'm wondering if the team members must also be competing in the Individual Men's Event, Women's event etc, or if it is possible for example, for the US to send 3 men to Sochi and use, let's say, Jeremy Abbott for the Team and Max and Jason Brown for the Men's Individual? This would be kind of great because it would give more skaters an opportunity to be Olympians, but maybe it's not possible?? Additionally, if only 2 US men go, does the 1 who competes for the Team have to be the higher ranked US man (ie our National Champion) or is the US free to name the #2 man as their Team competitor?

thanks to anyone who can help me understand this! :)
 

TontoK

Hot Tonto
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 28, 2013
Country
United-States
There is a thread somewhere that provides the exact language... I can't find it right now, so I'll try to remember what the board's interpretations was...

The team is composed of skaters who are already members of their respective Olympic Teams. In the case of the US men, then one of the two who are sent as individuals will participate in the team event. A third, team event only, skater is disallowed.

The only deviation from this was if a team only qualified skaters for three events, then they could use a skater/pair who was not qualified for the regular events to complete the team roster. That skater/team would not be eligible to compete in the regular events; they are only allowed to complete the roster for the team event.

My recollection is that teams are allowed to substitute (share responsibilities) in two events. For example, the US could decide to have one man skate the short and the other skate the long. This is allowed in two of the disciplines. However, if, as is the case for Russia, only one man qualifed for the individual event, then that man would have to skate both the long and the short in the team event. I know this is a cause of concern for some Plushenko fans... that he'd have to skate two competition programs before the individual men's event even started.

I don't recall any rule that says the higher ranked skater must be the participant. I presume that decision will be made by individual federations.

I believe I'm remembering correctly, but surely someone with better skills at hunting old threads will chime in and confirm or refute what I've written. Admittedly, it's all from memory.
 

mskater93

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 22, 2005
Also, if you have multiple skaters qualified, one can skate short, another long for team event
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
thanks to anyone who can help me understand this! :)

There is a thread somewhere that provides the exact language... I can't find it right now, so I'll try to remember what the board's interpretations was...

I believe I'm remembering correctly, but surely someone with better skills at hunting old threads will chime in and confirm or refute what I've written. Admittedly, it's all from memory.

wordsworthgirl, I see that you started a duplicate thread in the 2014 Winter Olympics subforum to ask the exact same questions. I will post my response in that thread.

TontoK has done a great job :bow: of explaining the Olympic team rules for you (as has Mrs. P in the other thread). I agree with everything in both of their posts.

As Tonto noted, what mskater said is permitted for a maximum of two out of the four disciplines.

What I will add in the other thread is a link that will lead to one of several relevant older threads on GS and to the ISU document where you can read the official rules.
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Yep that is my understanding of the rules; so it is very different than the World Team Trophy title. In fact it can generate very difficult results; likewise if they added the scores versus ordinals I thnk it would have really changed the results. Teams really with only three disciplines and one real weak or non existent discipline wouldn't have a chance if they added p ioints.
 
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